The similarities and differences between Zerodha vs IciciDirect brokerage, customer service, maintenance fees, tools and investment options provided to India Stock Market investors.
Zerodha started in 2010 which is ranked number one in the discount broker category whereas IciciDirect started in 1995. Here are some categories in which we compare zerodha and IciciDirect to know their pros and cons.
- Account opening fee and AMC
- Brokerage
- Trading platform
- Mobile application
1. Account opening fee and AMC:
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In Zerodha the account opening charges will be Rs. 300 for equity and Rs. 200 for commodity. If you are willing to trade on both equity and commodity then it will charge Rs. 500. The annual maintenance charge will be Rs 300. Whereas in IciciDirect the account opening charges for equity and commodity are free. The annual maintenance charges will be Rs. 700.
| Demat Services & Charges | Zerodha | Icici Direct |
| Depository Source | CDSL | CDSL |
| Account Opening Charges | Rs.300 for equities and Rs. 500 for equities and commodities | NIL |
| Demat AMC Charges | Rs.300 per year | Rs.700 per year |
| Trading AMC Charges | Free | NIL |
| Margin Money | Zero | NIL |
| Offline to Online | No | NIL |
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To Open Zerodha Account – Brockerage, Benifits and Reviews
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To Open IciciDirect Account – Brockerages, Benifits and Services
2. Brokerage:
The brokerage charges for Zerodha in Equity Intraday, F&O, commodity & currency which is 0.03% or Rs. 20 per trade, whichever is lower. The brokerage charges for IciciDirect is0.03% – 0.05%. Delivery is free in zerodha whereas it’s 0.55% in IciciDirect.
Zerodha vs IciciDirect
| Brokerage Charges | Zerodha | IciciDirect |
| Equity Delivery Trading | Zero | 0.55% |
| Equity Intraday Trading | Rs.20 or 0.03% per trade whichever is lower | 0.03%-0.05% |
| Commodity Options Trading | Rs.20 or 0.03% per trade whichever is lower | N/A |
| Equity Futures Trading | Rs.20 or 0.03% per trade whichever is lower | 0.03%-0.05% |
| Equity Options Trading | Rs.20 or 0.03% per trade whichever is lower | Rs. 35 – Rs. 95 per Lot |
| Currency Futures Trading | Rs.20 or 0.03% per trade whichever is lower | 0.03%-0.05% |
| Currency Options Trading | Rs.20 or 0.03% per trade whichever is lower | Rs.10 – Rs. 35 per lot |
| Minimum Brokerage | Zero | Rs. 35 per trade |
3. Trading platform :
The trading platform for Zerodha is Kite zerodha and for IciciDirect it is Icici Direct Trade Racer. In Kite zerodha all the options like orders, holdings, funds and positions should be selected manually to view them, whereas in IciciDirect Trade Racer all the options are available in the dashboard itself so it will be easy to view them.
| Zerodha Kite Web | Icici Direct Trade Racer |
| 1. Works at a bandwidth consumption of fewer than 0.5 Kbpsfor a full market watch Provides. 2. Extensive charting with over 100 indicators and 6 chart types. 3. Advanced order types like Brackets and cover. 4. Millisecond order placements. | 1. View all trending scripts within a single screen or interface. 2. With the Live scanner feature, clients can instantly identify stocks that are making high or low. 3. With the Heatmap feature, stocks high or low can be identified directly with color-coding without looking at data. 4. Customizable color layouts and market charts. |
4. Mobile application :
The mobile application for Zerodha is Kite and for IciciDirect it is IciciDirect mobile application. Both the applications are available in google play store app ios app store, you can download from it. Using application you can easily trade as all the options are present is it and even can watch live charts. Both applications are and easy to use.
| Zerodha Kite | IciciDirect mobile application |
| 1. One-tap universal instrument search for all contracts across all exchanges — NSE, BSE, MCX. 2. Live streaming data. 3. Multiple market watch and live market depths. Advanced chart with 100+ indicators Years worth of free historical chart data. Trade Equities, F&O, Commodities, Currency. | 1. Latest quotes, scrips, market updates can be analyzed. 2. Portfolio tracking and market movement.3.Live research calls and market tips. |
On one hand, Zerodha allows trading at much cheaper overall brokerage while on the other ICICI Direct provides different research reports and intraday tips to its customers. Everything about discount brokers such as Zerodha is Internet-based, be it – customer service, trading, account opening and so on.